Computational, chemical profile and in vitro acaricidal property of methanol and chloroform extracts of Cymbopogon citratus Stapf leaf

This study investigated the phytochemical composition, antioxidant and acaricidal properties of methanol and chloroform extracts of Cymbopogon citratus leaf. A known quantity of the pulverized plant material was first exhaustively extracted with chloroform and thereafter, with methanol using a Soxhlet apparatus set at 40 °C. The extracts were concentrated in a hot air oven at 40 °C. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy was used to determine the phytochemical composition, while 1,1 diphenyl-2-picrylhydraxyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay were used to evaluate the antioxidant profile of the extracts at concentrations of 25 - 400 µg/mL. Contact method was used to investigate the acaricidal property and molecular docking analysis of selected identified compounds were performed against acetylcholinesterase to check their drug like potentials. Fifty-seven and sixty-four compounds were identified in the methanol and chloroform extracts, respectively. The methanol extract produced higher antioxidant and acaricidal properties (P < 0.05) relative to the chloroform extract. The compounds formed hydrogen bonds with amino acid residues. In conclusion; the methanol extract demonstrated better antioxidant and acaricidal properties than the chloroform extract, which could be linked to the higher concentration of essential oil (Carvomenthol, (-)-carvone, and eucalyptol) in the methanol extract.